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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

THE  PETER  AND  ROSELL  HARVEY 
MEMORIAL  FUND 


SUNNYSIDC  IRRIGATION  CANAL 


WASHINGTON  IRRIGATION  COMPANY 

PROPRIETOR 


PRESIDENT: 

W.  M.   LADD, 

PORTLAND,  ORE. 
TREASURER  : 

R.  H.  DENNY, 

SEATTLE,  WASH. 


VICE-PRESIDENT  : 

GEORGE    DONALD, 

NORTH  YAKIMA,  WASH. 
SECRETARY : 

D.   P.    ROBINSON, 

SEATTLE,  WASH. 


SEATTLE : 
LOWMAN   *   HANFORD  STATION  KUY   AM)  PRINTING   CO. 

1001 


5UNNJV5IDE  IRRIGATION  CANAL 

CARRYING    CAPACITY,    1,000    CUBIC    FEET    PER    SECOND    OF   TIME. 


40,000   ACRES    UNDER    DITCH. 


PRICE  OF  LAND,  INCLUDING    PERPETUAL  WATER  RIGHT,  FROM  $25  TO  $40  PER  ACRE. 


TERMS    OF    PAYMENT: 

ONE-FIFTH    DOWN    AND    THE    BALANCE    IN    FOUR    ANNUAL    PAYMENTS,    COMMENCING    WITH    THE    SECOND    YEAR. 
INTEREST    ON    DEFERRED    PAYMENTS    AT    THE    RATE    OF    SIX    PER    CENT    PER    ANNUM. 


FOR    INFORMATION,    ADDRESS 


WASHINGTON  IRRIGATION  COMPANY 

ZILLAH,  WASH. 


or 

SOLOMON'S  saying,  "  There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun,"  applies  to  irrigation.     Close  study  leads  to  the 
conclusion   that   irrigation   is  as    old    as    husbandry.     In    all    likelihood,    man,    when    placed   upon   the 
earth,  was  not  given  a  habitation  in  a  humid  climate,  but  in  some  arid  section — an  oasis  in  a  desert. 
Such  is  the  contention  of  scientists.     As  primitive  man   outgrew  nature's  fertile  spots,  there  being  no  rain  but 
springs  and  streams,  he  lead  these  from  their  channels  to  the  surrounding  soil,  and  caused  it  to  oroduce  abundant 
harvest. 

We  are  told  that  husbandry  was  first  taught,  held  honorable  and  extensively  followed  in  Egypt.  For 
centuries  this  country  was  the  granary  of  the  world.  So  great  was  its  productiveness  that  it  not  only  supplied  a 
dense  population,  but  accumulated  vast  stores  to  overcome  famine  brought  on  by  plague,  and  supplied  foreign 
nations  with  fruit  and  cereals.  The  great  fertility  of  the  Nile  valley  and  vicinity  was  not  the  result,  as  many 
suppose,  of  the  periodical  overflow  of  the  river,  covering,  at  the  most,  but  a  small  section,  but  the  result  of  man's 
ingenuity  displayed  in  the  grandest  system  of  irrigation  ever  devised. 

From  ancient  writings  recently  discovered,  and  from  recent  examinations  of  the  condition  of  the  Nile 
above  Cairo  by  scientists  and  explorers,  the  conclusion  has  been  reached  that  the  six  cataracts  from  Assouan  to 
near  Kartoum  in  the  river  Nile  were  not  the  work  of  Nature,  but  of  ancient  and  scientific  engineering  for  the 
purpose  of  irrigation  and  navigation.  Engineering  at  once  bold  in  its  conception  and  colossal  in  its  execution. 
That  it  had  also  been  most  successful  in  its  results  was  evident  from  the  remains  of  irrigation  canals  still 
stretching  over  many  degrees  of  longitude  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  as  well  as  by  ancient  records  of  flourishing 


cities  where  now  only  barren  wastes  are  to  be  found,  inhabited  by  roving  tribes  of  Arabs.  These  canals  or 
their  ruins  are  by  no  means  confined  to  the  valley  of  the  Nile  proper,  but  they  reach  to  the  very  confines  of  the 
Great  Desert. 

Gordon  speaks  of  the  ancient  irrigation  canals  as  pervading  the  whole  Soudan,  as  well  as  what  is  now 
desert,  on  the  northern  side  of  the  Nile  from  the  Mediterranean  to  latitude  15°  north,  if  not  further,  and  many 
degrees  of  longitude  west,  as  well  as  east  of  the  Nile  valley  proper.  Scientists  were  led  to  the  belief  that  the 
cataracts  were  not  the  work  of  Nature  by  the  fact  that  they  were  nearly  equidistant  from  each  other 
along  the  course  of  the  river.  The  total  distance  from  the  first  cataract  at  Assouan  to  Kartoum  is  seven 
hundred  and  twenty  miles,  and  the  division  of  this  space  by  six  cataracts  will  give  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
between  each,  which  is  almost  the  exact  distance  between  any  two  cataracts.  The  fall  of  the  river  being  eight 
inches  to  the  mile  gives  a  needed  height  to  each  dam  of  eighty  feet,  exactly;  in  short,  the  calculation  which 
would  now  be  made,  primarily,  by  any  irrigation  engineer.  Last,  but  not  least,  the  great  square  granite  blocks, 
composed  of  a  formation  that  cannot  be  found  in  any  other  part  of  the  Nile  except  at  the  cataracts  or  rapids, 
stretching  out  for  over  two  thousand  yards  across  the  river  are  still  visible  at  very  low  Nile.  From  these  facts 
modern  scientists  and  engineers  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  cataracts  or  rapids  were  not  the  work  of 
Nature,  but  were  enormous  dams  constructed  by  man.  for  the  purposes  above  described.  But  the  proof  of  the 
dams  having  existed  where  the  cataracts  or  rapids  now  are,  does  not  rest  simply  on  the  inference  of  experts  upon 
the  appearance  of  the  river.  Quite  recently  there  have  been  found  ancient  writings  which  speak  of  this  fact;  and 
among  the  various  inscriptions  found  in  one  at  Sikilis  to  the  effect  that  the  Nile  watered  vast  regions  above 
Somnah,  but  that  the  rock  gave  way,  and  that  ever  after  the  river  ceased  to  water  the  region  above."  * 

The  writings  of  Plato  are  also  corroborative  of  the  vastness  of  the  irrigation  works  of  the  Egyptians. 
Nowhere  on  the  face  of  the  earth  has  the  work  of  the  human  race  defied  the  ravages  of  time  as  in  the  valley  of 

*  Kinney  on   Irrigation,  Sec.   10. 


PLATE  1 


YAKIMA  RIVER  AND  INTAKE,  SUNNYSIDE  CANAL 


the  Nile.  Today  we  read  inscriptions  as  though  they  were  the  work  of  yesterday  and  they  tell  us  of  an  age 
centuries  past  when  medicine,  chemistry,  mathematics,  sculpture,  astronomy  and  the  mechanical  arts  in  Egypt 
surpassed,  in  many  respects,  the  skill  of  the  present  period.  For  boldness  of  conception  and  skill  in  execution, 
nothing  exceeds  the  artificial  waterways  constructed  by  the  early  Egyptians. 

Fix  in  mind  a  waterway  excavated  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  six  hundred  and  sixty  feet  wide  and 
1250  miles  long,  and  you  will  but  comprehend  an  Egyptian  enterprise  built  for  the  double  purpose  of  watering  the 
land  and  for  floating  vessels.  Have  in  mind  this  vast  canal  encircling  a  plain  with  great  ditches,  cutting  it 
into  many  parts,  and  then  a  netv/ork  of  smaller  waterways  everywhere,  distributing  water  to  the  rich  and  thirsty 
soil;  picture  here  and  there  upon  these  waterways  and  the  Nile  great  cities  with  palaces,  temples  and  magnifi- 
cent tombs,  the  people  arrayed  in  the  richest  of  fabrics  and  ornamented  in  priceless  jewels  (for  it  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  there  is  scarcely  an  article  of  comfort  or  luxury  now  in  use,  but  that  its  counterpart  is  shown  in  some 
of  the  pictures  still  fresh  and  bright,  on  the  walls  of  the  tombs  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  kings);*  add  to  this  the 
pyramids,  the  great  dams  of  the  Nile,  groves  of  stately  palms  and  tall  trees  gently  nodding  in  the  lazy  breezes  of 
the  Mediterranean  coast;  dot  the  plain  with  groves  of  citrus  fruit  and  vineyards,  (for  here  Bacchus  had  his 
mythical  being  and  was  worshipped,)  and  you  have  Egypt  not  in  fancy,  but  as  a  reality  centuries  ago. 

Radiating  from  Egypt  the  science  of  irrigation  reached  the  valleys  of  the  Ganges,  Indus  and  Euphrates, 
and  here  wealth  accumulated  and  opulence  held  sway,  and  large  cities  flourished,  rich  in  their  homes  and  public 
places.  Here  man  conceived  strange  designs,  tall  towers  and  hanging  gardens,  and  rulers  built  them.  Take 
from  ancient  history  the  people  who  subsisted  by  means  of  irrigation  and  what  is  there  left  to  show  stability, 
splendor  and  grandeur  to  the  far-off  past?  True  it  is  that  man  passed  out  of  Egypt  into  eastern  Asia,  thence  to 
southern  Europe  and  ultimately  overran  the  whole  of  the  northland.  He  passed  into  the  land  of  humid  climate, 
and  there  built  up  a  vast  civilization,  which  now  in  many  places  continues  to  flourish.  What  is  true  as  to 

*  History  of  Egypt,  by  Clara  Erskine  Cement, 


PLATE  2 


SUNNYSIDE  CANAL,  A  FEW  MILES  BELOW  INTAKE 


irrigation  of  ancient  Egypt  and  eastern  Asia  is  also  true  of  the  New  World.  Today  the  archaeologists  bring  forth 
mummies  from  caves  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  They  find  pottery  and  implements  bespeaking  high  art. 
They  trace  the  outlines  and  delve  in  the  debris  of  cities  now  in  buried  ruin,  where  once  dwelt  man  not  rude, 
uncouth  and  savage,  but  man  cultured  and  artistic  in  his  tastes  with  science  applied  to  his  many  wants.  Wherever 
these  traces  of  civilization  are  found  whether  in  South,  Central  or  North  America  there,  too,  remains  positive 
evidence  of  irrigation  carried  on  upon  a  magnificent  scale.  Take,  for  instance,  the  acqueduct  that  traverses 
Condesonyos  in  South  America.  This  was  of  the  length  of  five  hundred  miles.  The  historian,  Prescott,  states 
that  canals  and  acquoducts  were  seen  crossing  the  lowland  in  all  directions,  and  spreading  over  the  country  like  a 
vast  network,  distributing  fertility  and  beauty  all  around  them." 

"  In  Arizona  are  to  be  found  remains  of  prehistoric  canals,  which  with  their  laterals  must  have  exceeded 
a  thousand  miles  in  length,  and  the  ruins  of  many  of  them  give  evidence  of  the  expenditure  of  vast  labor  in  their 
construction.  One  of  the  largest  of  these  canals  took  water  from  the  south  side  of  Salt  River,  about  twenty-five 
miles  from  the  present  city  of  Phoenix,  and  after  leaving  the  river  ran  for  several  miles  through  a  formation  of 
hard  volcanic  rock.  Thus  without  explosives  of  any  kind  and  with  the  simple  tools  of  the  stone  age,  the  aborig- 
inal constructors  of  the  ditch  excavated  a  canal  through  solid  rock  of  the  hardest  formation,  to  a  depth  varying 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  and  to  a  width  of  about  twenty  feet,  and  having  a  capacity  of  from  ten  thousand  to  fifteen 
thousand  miner's  inches  when  the  river  was  at  its  ordinary  stage.  The  evidence  of  the  vast  amount  of  labor 
expended  in  its  construction  by  the  chipping  process,  is  plain  upon  the  face  of  the  rock,  while  for  miles  on  both 
sides  of  the  canal  can  be  found  vast  numbers  of  worn  out  stone  axes  and  hammers.  A  party  of  Mormons  have 
succeeded  in  clearing  away  the  accumulated  debris  and  restoring  the  ditch  to  its  original  usefulness,  and  have 
thereby  converted  a  barren  waste  into  fertile  fields,  now  occupied  by  twenty  thousand  people.  The  canal  is  at 
present  known  as  the  Mesa  Canal,  and  supplies  Mesa  City  and  vicinity  with  water  for  irrigation  and  other  pur- 
poses. Two  miles  east  of  the  above-mentioned  canal,  but  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  is  the  head  of  the  great 
Arizona  Canal,  the  largest  in  the  southwest,  if  not  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  carrying  as  it  does  nearly  fifty  thousand 


PLATE  3 


A  LATERAL 


inches  of  water.  Its  construction  was  also  suggested  by  the  remains  of  a  prehistoric  canal  that  could  be  traced 
for  many  miles,  and  the  promoter  of  the  new  enterprise,  being  of  the  firm  belief  that  what  had  been  done  could 
be  done  again  under  like  conditions,  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  completed  a  waterway  which  reclaimed  over  one 
hundred  thousand  acres  in  and  around  the  city  of  Phcenix.  Forty  miles  west  of  the  Arizona  Canal,  and  a  few 
miles  below  the  junction  of  the  Salt  River  with  the  Gila  on  the  north  bank  of  the  latter  river,  is  the  head  of 
another  ditch,  which  from  the  traces  of  prehistoric  civilization,  found  along  its  banks,  is  of  even  more  interest. 
It  is  called  the  'Acequa  of  the  Painted  Rocks,'  and  commences  where  it  can  take  from  the  Gila  not  only  the 
waters  of  that  stream,  but  also  the  water  of  all  the  canals  lying  north  and  east  of  it  as  well.  Portions  of  the  canal 
have  been  reclaimed,  but  those  parts  which  the  hand  of  modern  civilization  has  not  touched,  are  still  so  distinct, 
that  their  remains  may  be  traced  without  difficulty  for  fifty  miles,  while  between  it  and  the  Gila  river,  in  the  lands 
which  were  formerly  irrigated  from  it,  can  be  found  the  relics  of  ancient  civilization  in  profusion,  not  only  in  the 
shape  of  ruined  buildings,  but  also  of  pottery,  stone  implements,  weapons  and  ornaments.  But  another 
curious  feature  of  this  canal,  and  the  strongest  evidence  of  the  great  length  of  time  which  has  elapsed  since  the 
system  of  irrigation  was  maintained,  is  that  a  few  miles  below  the  point  where  it  crosses  the  Hassayamba  creek, 
it  traverses  a  mesa  or  bench  for  several  miles,  from  which  it  falls  abruptly  into  a  valley  some  forty  or  fifty  feet. 
Where  this  fall  takes  place  the  waters  of  the  canal  have  cut  away  for  several  feet  the  walls  of  the  mesa, 
which  are  of  the  hardest  volcanic  character.  As  every  evidence  indicates  that  the  erosion  of  the  rock  has  been 
accomplished  by  the  action  of  the  water  alone,  centuries  must  have  been  required  for  the  work.  Upon  the  face 
of  the  rock  thus  cut  away  are  to  be  found  hieroglyphics  of  every  description,  of  the  meaning  of  which  the  present 
aborigines  know  nothing.  From  these  inscriptions  the  white  man  has  given  them  the  name  of  'Painted  Rocks  '  "* 

All  this  teaches  the  lesson  that  in  the   higher  civilization  of   olden  times,  irrigation  was  the  handmaid  of 
the   husbandman.     To  it  he  owed  his  prosperity.     To  it  a  teeming  population  looked  for  subsistance.      From  it 

*  Kinney  on  Irrigation,  Sec.   15. 


PLATE  4 


OFFICE  BUILDING,  ZILLAH 


PACKING  PEACHES 


SWEET-POTATO    FlELD 


Kings,  Monarchs  and  Pharaohs  received  revenues  to  carry  on  works  of  arc  and  public  utility,  which  are  still 
stupendous  in  their  ruins.  These  great  irrigation  systems,  marvelous  in  their  parts,  built  in  instances  with  quar- 
ried stone  and  in  others  hewn  from  the  solid  rock,  make  vivid  the  thought  that  where  nature  does  the  most  man 
does  the  least;  and  where  he  firmly  grasps  and  supplements  what  nature  has  suggested,  this  becomes  the  theater 
of  his  greatest  action  and  gives  him  godlike  glory. 


WE  have  spoken  of  the  ancient  works  of  irrigation.  What  does  the  present  show?  Famine  stricken  India 
comes  to  mind.  There,  in  the  last  thirty  years,  at  a  cost  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  dollars, 
thirty-five  million  acres  of  land  have  been  reclaimed  from  the  desert  waste,  and,  this  to  a  large  extent, 
lies  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Himalaya  mountains,  far  from  the  sea  coast.  From  the  ocean  to  these  artificial 
oases  great  lines  of  railroads  have  been  constructed  and  now  carry  a  vast  commerce.  By  this  means  not  less 
than  50,000,000  people  are  free  from  the  horrors  of  famine.  These  great  enterprises  redounding  to  the  glory  of 
Britain  have  not  proven  financial  failures,  but  return  to  the  British  India  government,  by  which  they  were  con- 
structed, an  annual  revenue  of  eighteen  per  cent. 

Even  in  the  great  Sahara  Desert,  under  the  skill  and  enterprise  of  the  Frenchman,  lying  as  it  does  below 
the  surface  of  the  ocean,  by  means  of  artesian  wells  the  hot  sands  are  given  place  to  cultivated  fields  and 
green  trees. 

In  Australasia,  the  government  and  the  people  have,  for  a  number  of  years  past,  realized  that  the  water- 
less plains,  which  stretch  for  leagues  and  are  covered  with  a  soil  containing  all  substances  which  enter  into  a 
vegetable  formation,  could  only  be  made  productive  by  irrigation,  have  expended  vast  sums  of  money  in  the 
construction  of  waterways,  and  since  1881  have  turned  15,000,000  acres  of  desert  into  beautiful  farms.  Italy, 


PLATE  5 


APPLE  TREES,  Six  YEARS  OLD,  ORCHARD  OF  W.  J.  JORDAN,  ZILLAH 


Spain  and  France  have  for  centuries  appreciated  the  value  of  artificially  watering  land.  In  these  countries  the 
most  productive  portions  are  where  irrigation  is  practiced.  There  the  greatest  population  dwells.  Take, 
for  instance,  irrigated  Murcia,  Spain;  it  has  a  population  of  1681  to  the  square  mile,  while  the  province  of 
Orihuela,  where  the  people  depend  upon  rain  for  the  growing  of  crops,  has  only  a  population  of  101.  In  our 
own  country,  where  in  1847  existed  a  stretch  of  sagebrush,  today  stands  the  beautiful  city  of  Salt  Lake,  sur- 
rounded by  orchards,  meadows  and  harvest  fields.  This  is  the  result  of  the  foresight  of  the  Mormons,  and  the 
spreading  out,  by  them,  of  the  streams  and  rivers  upon  a  parched  soil.  Montana,  Idaho,  Wyoming,  Colorado, 
New  Mexico,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oregon,  Arizona,  have  and  are  rapidly  bringing  into  cultivation,  by  means  of 
irrigation,  large  sections.  In  1889,  according  to  the  census  bulletin  of  the  United  States  government,  there 
were  in  the  United  States  under  irrigation  3,631,381  acres  of  land.  In  1891,  per  estimate  of  the  agricultural 
department,  the  number  of  acres  under  ditch  was  upwards  of  18,000,000. 

What  is  possible  to  be  accomplished  by  means  of  irrigation  is  best  shown  in  the  State  of  California.  The 
friars  and  monks,  who  long  before  the  discovery  of  gold,  settled  in  California,  took  with  them  from  Spain  and 
Mexico  a  knowledge  or  irrigation.  This  they  made  use  of,  and  near  the  missions  and  monasteries  established 
by  them,  they  watered  the  land  by  streams  from  the  mountains  and  brought  into  a  high  state  of  cultivation 
limited  tracts  upon  which  they  grew  grapes,  lemons,  oranges  and  all  fruits  of  a  semi-tropical  country.  When 
gold  was  discovered  thousands  rushed  to  the  State  of  the  "  Setting  Sun,"  and  when  the  argonautic  spirit  abated  the 
possibilities  of  horticulture  presented  themselves  and  many  turned  their  attention  to  fruit  culture.  How  to  handle 
water  the  miner  well  knew,  for  in  hydraulic  mining  he  became  master  of  this  element.  At  once  he  brought  it 
forth  from  the  gulches  to  the  land  and  planted  vineyards  and  groves  of  oranges,  limes,  olives,  lemons,  almonds 
and  walnuts;  he  laid  out  lanes  of  eucalyptus,  palm  and  pepper  trees;  he  planted  gardens  of  figs,  guavas, 
pomegranate  and  the  smaller  fruits;  he  transformed  the  desert  into  an  Eden  and  lured  to  it  the  rich  of  the 
East,  and  they,  in  settling  there,  built  beautiful  homes  with  magnificent  drives  grander  than  those  of  sunny  Spain, 
or  still  more  charming  Italy. 


PLATE  6 


CORNFIELD,  9?H  DAY  OF  JUNE,   1900,  SUNNYSIDE.     FARM  OF  SISK  &  ALLEN 


J^temS  of 


THERE  are  practically  but  two  modes  of  irrigation.  The  first  is  called  the  furrow  system — the  other  the 
flooding.  By  the  former  either  a  rolling  or  flat  country  can  be  watered,  by  the  latter  only  comparatively 
level  land  can  be  served.  By  means  of  furrows,  hills  sloping  at  an  angle  of  30°  have  been  successfully 
watered.  To  prepare  the  ground  for  the  furrow  system  all  brush  and  large  stones  should  be  removed,  small 
knolls  and  hummocks  cut  down,  the  low  places  filled  and  the  ground  brought  to  a  level  or  even  slope.  To  the 
highest  point  of  the  land  to  be  irrigated  a  lateral  is  run  from  the  main  ditch  or  canal.  From  this  lateral  a  head 
ditch  is  constructed,  following  the  highest  contour  of  the  land.  From  the  head  ditch,  receiving  its  water  from 
the  lateral,  small  furrows  are  run  with  an  implement  resembling  the  corn  marker  of  the  New  England  farmer. 
These  furrows  on  level  tracts  are  run  in  straight  and  parallel  lines.  Where  a  sidehill  is  to  be  watered,  the  fur- 
rows are  run  practically  parallel  and  upon  contours.  From  the  head  ditch  the  water  is  let  into  the  furrows  by 
means  of  square  wooden  pipes  constructed  out  of  lath,  and  with  such  openings  as  to  carry  in  the  neighborhood  of 
one  square  inch  of  water  without  pressure.  This  inch  of  water  will  follow  a  furrow  and  oftentimes  successfully 
irrigate  a  stretch  half  a  mile  long  by  three  feet  wide,  or  over  one-third  of  an  acre. 

To  irrigate  by  flooding,  the  land  must  be  leveled  and  divided  into  squares  with  banks  six  inches  or  there- 
abouts in  height,  with  ditches  leading  into  and  connecting  the  squares.  Into  these  squares  water  is  let  and 
allowed  to  stand  until  the  soil  becomes  thoroughly  saturated;  the  surplus  water  of  the  higher  tiers  being  allowed 
to  pass  into  the  lower  tiers.  This  system  can  be  used  where  the  soil  is  extremely  light  and  sandy,  and  not  subject 
to  baking  and  forming  a  crust  through  which  vegetation  will  not  grow.  The  flooding  system  has  a  tendency  to 


PLATE ' 


AT  CHURCH,  ZILLAH 


cause  the  roots  of  plants  and  trees  to  grow  upward  toward  the  surface,  while  by  the  furrow  system  the  water 
being  let  deeper  into  the  ground  all  roots  grow  downward,  and  for  a  longer  period  are  supplied  with  moisture 
from  the  surrounding  earth, 

ONE  of  the  characteristics  of  all  arid  sections  is  almost  perpetual  sunshine.     To  this  can  be  added  a 
remarkable  fact  that  the  soil  in  most  arid  sections  is  remarkably  productive  when  supplied  with  water. 
Only  lighter  soils — those  which  will  allow  water  to  freely  percolate — can  be  successfully  irrigated.     In  an 
irrigated  section  each  farmer  is  his  own  rain  maker.     In  the  vernacular  of  an  irrigated  country,  he  turns  the 
rain  on.     Under  irrigation  there  is  a  certainty  of  crop.     There  being  no  rain,  harvest  time  is  extended,  as  well 
as  the  period  for  plowing  and  harrowing.     The  soil  being  lighter,  it  is  easier  tilled.     Sunshine  being  almost  perpetual, 
and  no   rain,  barns  for  storing  grain  and  hay  are   not  a  necessity.     The   water  that  irrigates  enriches  the  soil, 
carrying  from  the  mountains,  hills   and  swamps,  during  the  flooding  period,  large  quantities  of  the  richest  fertil- 
izers, which  are  distributed  by  means  of  the  canal,  laterals  and  furrows,  over  the  fields  of  the  farmer. 


of 


ACCORDING  to  the  United  Stales  census  of  1890,  the  total  number  of  acres  of  irrigated  land  in  the  United 
States  in  1889,  scarcely  exceeded  three  million  acres,  of  which  over  a  million  acres  were  in  California, 
and  890,000  acres  were  in  Colorado.     The  total  value  of  the  irrigated  lands  was  $296,850,000.00,  an 
average  of  $83.28  per  acre.     The   average  value  of  irrigated  land   in  California  being  $150.00  per  acre  and 
$84.25  in  Utah.     The  whole  cost  of  the  irrigated  land  was  $77,490,000,  leaving  a  net  profit  to  the  farmer  and 


Fl-ATE  8 


FRUIT  EVAPORATOR  AND  PACKING  HOUSE.     FARM  OP  P.  J.  FLINT,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


ditch  owner  of  $219,370,000.  The  average  cost  of  a  water  right  in  California  was  $39.28  per  acre,  while 
there  were  fruit  growing  districts  in  that  state  where  a  water  right  had  cost  as  high  as  $500.00  per  acre.  This 
great  cost  being  the  result  of  an  extensive  system  of  underground  pipes  overcoming  all  loss  of  seepage  and 
greatly  economizing  the  use  of  water.* 

of 

['"•HE  average  cost  of  yearly  rental  or  maintenance  tax  per  acre  in  the  State  of  California  is  $1.60.     In 

Colorado  it  is  claimed  that  one  man  can  irrigate  25  acres  of  grain  per  day.     Twelve  acres  per  day,  how- 

'       ever,  may  be  taken  as  a  fair  average.     The  cost  of  labor  at  $1.50  per  day,  irrigating  four  times  a  year, 

would  be  50  cents  per  acre.     A  crop  of  wheat,  or  alfalfa,  should  not  be  watered  to  exceed  three  or  four  times, 

and  fruit  trees  from  three  to  five  times  a  season,  according  to  the  soil. 

In  California  the  duty  of  water  is  great,  running  from  200  to  500  acres  to  one  second  foot.     In  the  United 
States  the  duty  of  water  is  far  less  than  in  India,  where  the  greatest  economy  is  practiced. 


rJatioQ  m  tt^e  We^hepiQ  poptiorco 


ABOUT  one-third  of  the  United  States  proper  needs  irrigation.     The  sub-humid  portion  of  our  country 
includes  practically  the  whole  of  North  and  South  Dakota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  Texas,  and  the  Territory 
of  Oklahoma.     The  arid  states  are  Arizona,  California,  Colorado,  Idaho,  Montana,  New  Mexico,  Oregon, 
Utah,  Washington  and  Wyoming.     From  this  great  belt  should  be  taken  the  country  that  lies  between  the  coast 
range  of  mountains  and  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  extending  from  British  Columbia  south  to  Santa  Barbara,  Cal- 

*  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  New  American  Supp.     Title,  Irrigation. 


PLATE  9 


SECTION  ONE— ORCHARD  OF  P.  J.  FLINT,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


ifornia;  and  east  of  this  range  of  mountains  some  of  the  table  lands,  including  a  number  of  the  river  valleys 
—  notably  the  Snake  and  the  Columbia  —  lying  in  the  southeast  portion  of  Washington  and  the  northeast  portion 
of  Oregon,  and  extending  eastward  to  the  Blue  Mountains,  where  sufficient  rain  falls  for  the  production  of 
vegetation. 


m  h^  Jtevelopmeot  of  tf?e  Gr^eah 


THE  Orient  has  been  the  objective  point  of  the  civilized  and  commercial  nations  from  the  days  of  Columbus 
to  the  present  hour.  That  the  spirit  that  moved  nations  to  control  the  commerce  of  that  section  of  the 
earth,  where  the  greatest  population  dwells,  has  not  waned,  is  made  apparent  by  what  at  the  present  time 
is  taking  place  in  India,  China,  the  Philippines  and  other  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Europe  for  centuries  has 
striven  to  establish  short  lines  for  commerce  to  the  Orient.  England,  directed  by  French  skill,  built  and  now 
owns,  the  Suez  canal. 

On  the  continent  of  North  America,  leading  westward,  private  corporations,  some  with  and  others  without 
governmental  aid,  have  constructed  transcontinental  railroads.  Upon  the  completion  of  these  arteries  of  com- 
merce, several  large  steamship  lines  have  been  established  between  San  Francisco,  Portland,  Tacoma,  Seattle, 
Vancouver  and  the  centers  of  population  of  the  eastern  world,  and  between  these  points  already  the  volume  of 
commerce  is  increasing  by  so  large  a  per  cent,  as  almost  to  stagger  the  imagination  as  to  what  the  future  has 
in  store. 

Already,  to  meet  this  growing  trade,  so  absolutely  in  its  infancy,  vessels  are  being  constructed  which  will 
carry  20,000  tons  of  merchandise  each.*  The  Orient,  not  to  be  outdone  by  the  Occident,  has  established  cne 
of  the  greatest  lines  of  vessels  on  the  Pacific;  and  one  of  the  most  common  sights  to  be  seen  in  the  sea- 

*  Review  of  Reviews  for  June,  1900, 


PLATE  10 


SECTION  Two— ORCHARD  OF  P.  J.  FLINT,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


board  cities  of  the  Pacific  are  large  freighters  owned  and  operated  by  the  Japanese,  and  each  year  they  are  adding 
larger  and  more  costly  vessels  to  their  fleets.  That  the  United  States  has  entered  upon  an  era  of  great  com- 
mercial development  is  shown  by  statistics,  and  is  upon  every  tongue. t 

The  Pacific  trade  of  the  United  States  has  advanced  two-thirds  in  volume  during  the  past  five  calendar 
years.  American  imports  of  the  products  of  Asia  and  Oceanica  have  increased  40  per  cent,  since  1894,  while 
American  exports  to  the  markets  of  Asia  and  Oceanica  have  grown  135  per  cent.,  or  multipled  nearly  two  and 
one-half  times. 

We  are  taking  $48,000,000  of  goods  a  year  to  the  East  Indies,  as  compared  with  $25,000,000  in  1894. 
We  are  taking  $16,000,000  of  sugar  a  year  from  the  Hawaiian  islands,  as  compared  with  $8,000,000  in  1895. 
Our  annual  tea  bill  with  China  and  Japan  now  runs  to  near  100,000,000  pounds,  and  our  silk  bill  with  these 
countries  reaches  $25,000,000  a  year,  comprising  nearly  all  of  our  imports  of  unmanufactured  silk. 

We  are  shipping  $18,000,000  of  American  products  to  Japan,  where  we  sold  only  $3,300,000  in  1892. 
and  over  $12,000,000  to  China,  where  we  shipped  $4,800,000  in  1893.  Our  exports  to  Hawaii  have  risen  from 
less  than  $3,000,000,  in  1893,  to  nearly  $7,000,000  now,  and  our  shipments  of  American  wares  to  Australasia, 
have  grown  in  that  time  from  $7,500,000  to  $17,500,000  a  year.  Our  Pacific  exports  of  flour  have  risen  in  a 
few  years  from  practically  nothing  to  2,500,000  barrels,  and  our  sales  of  cotton  goods  to  the  Orient  have  grown 
from  $4,000,000,  in  1894,  to  $15,000,000. 

There  is  scarcely  a  market,  foreign  or  domestic,  but  that  handles  our  manufactured  products — our  flour,  cot- 
ton, beef,  fish,  iron  and  steel.  Our  manufactured  products  go  to  the  people  of  all  countries.  The  Great 
Northwest  is  closer  by  over  three  thousand  miles  to  the  Orient  than  France,  Germany  or  England,  by  way  of  the 
Suez  Canal;  and  the  time  of  travel  between  New  York  City  and  Japan,  by  rail  and  water,  is  several  days  shorter 
than  between  Liverpool  and  the  Japanese  Empire. 

t  Seattle  and  the  Orient,  by  Alden  J.  Blethen,  page  85.     Minneapolis  Times,  Northwest-Orient  Edition. 


PLATE  11 


SECTION  THREE— ORCHARD  OF  P.  J.  FLINT,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


Into  the  lap  of  the  Northwest,  Alaska  is  pouring  a  golden  store.  In  the  waters  of  the  Pacific,  its  sounds, 
bays  and  gulfs,  and  Bering  Sea,  the  supply  of  food  fishes  is  inexhaustible.  Already  the  salmon  industry  of  Wash- 
ington, Oregon,  British  Columbia  and  Alaska  runs  annually  into  many  millions  of  dollars,  and  the  governmental 
reports  show  Bering  Sea  to  be  as  rich  in  cod  as  are  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  Add  to  this  the  coal,  iron, 
copper,  timber  and  the  precious  metals  so  lavishly  placed  at  man's  disposal  in  the  states,  provinces  and  territories 
of  the  North  Pacific,  and  nothing  can  stay  the  spirit  of  enterprise  that  now  possesses  the  handful  of  people  who 
dwell  in  this  section.  For  years  to  come  this  will  be  the  theater  of  man's  greatest  activity  in  the  establish- 
ment of  trade,  commerce  and  manufacturing. 

The  per  cent,  of  growth  of  the  Pacific  Coast  states  is  convincing  proof  that  before  another  century  rolls 
round,  here  will  be  found  cities  balancing  in  importance  the  great  entrepots  of  the  Atlantic.  This  population  will 
have  to  be  fed.  To  supply  its  wants,  cereals,  hay,  live  stock,  garden  vegetables  and  fruit  in  great  quantities  will 
be  demanded,  In  the  west,  as  has  already  been  shown,  the  amount  of  land  fit  for  agricultural  purposes,  is  lim- 
ited. That  it  will  be  taxed  to  its  utmost  is  certain.  That  it  will  increase  in  value  as  the  population  increases, 
Is  but  logic. 

THE  Cascade  Mountains  divide  the  state  into  two  sections,  which  differ  as  much   in  climatic  conditions  as 
in  topographical  aspects.     They  extend  through  the  state  from  north  to  south,  at  an  average  elevation  of 
about  8000  feet,  and  with  numerous  peaks  rising  to  nearly  twice  that  height.     These   mountains  are 
paralleled  by  other  ranges  upon  the  eastern  and  western  borders  of  the  state.     Generally  speaking,  it  may  be  said 
they  stand  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees  to  the  direction  of  the  prevailing  winds,  thus  forming  almost  a  perfect 
rain  barrier. 

In  Eastern  Washington  the  Columbia  River  basin  slopes  to  the  south,  with  numerous  streams,  shallow 
lakes,  a  sandy  soil,  high  mountains,  bordering  on  either  side,  and  broken  ridges  lying  to  the  north;  it  is  well  pro- 


FLATK  l-j  CRATING    FRUIT 

HOME  OF  S.  J.  HARRISON,  SUNNYSIDE 


SCHOOLHOUSE,  PARKER  BOTTOM 
VINEYARD 


tected  from  outside  influences,  admirably  arranged,  and  suitably  inclined  to  receive  the  solar  heat,  and  to  have  a 
moderately  equable  climate.  The  figures  of  the  whole  of  the  Columbia  River  basin,  deduced  from  official 
reports  from  fourteen  stations,  well  distributed  over  the  basin,  show  an  average  annual  temperature  of  48.25 
degrees.  The  prevailing  winds  of  the  Yakima  valley  are  from  the  Cascade  Mountains.  They  are  productive  of 
clear,  dry  weather,  so  characteristic  of  the  Yakima  country  in  particular,  and  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Cascades 
in  general.  The  winds  blowing  from  the  mountains  clear  the  sky  and  bring  about  fair  weather.  The  average 
rainfall  of  the  Yakima  valley  is  seven  inches.  The  serenity  of  the  sky  is  remarkable.  At  Sunnyside  there  are 
188  clear  days,  83  partly  cloudy,  94  cloudy,  and  only  33  rainy.  The  soil  of  the  Yakima  valley  is  mostly  of  a 
loose  volcanic  ash,  which  receives  a  large  quantity  of  heat  and  moisture  readily,  and  retains  it  for  a  compar- 
atively long  time. 

From  the  first  of  June  to  the  first  of  November,  scarcely  any  rain  falls,  and  a  thunder  storm  is  a  rarity.* 

The  aridness  of  the  Great  Bend  of  the  Columbia,  including  the  valley  of  the  Yakima  and  other  rivers, 
makes  irrigation  absolutely  essential,  and  for  years,  upon  a  small  scale,  in  various  parts  of  this  section,  irriga- 
tion has  been  practiced. 


\2e   r^nnyeisle  Im<?ation  Canal 


IN    1889,  irrigation  upon  a  large  scale  was  first  contemplated,  and  took  practical  form  in  the  Yakima  valley 
Then  it  was  that  Walter  N.  Granger  and  associates,  after  carefully  examining  all  the  arid  land  along  the  line 
of  the  Northern  Pacific   railroad,  reached  the    conclusion  that   no  section  presented  greater  advantages 
toward  a  complete  irrigation  system  than  the  valley  of  the  Yakima.     Here  they  found  a  river  fed  by  the  perpetual 
snows,  streams  and  lakes  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  which  at  the  lowest  stage  of  its  water,  flowed  an  abundant 

*W.  N.  Allen,  in  Northwest  Journal  of  Education. 


PLATE  13 


AN  IRRIGATED  FIEI.D,  SUNNYSIDE  CANAL 


supply  of  water.  They  found  a  soil  averaging  some  30  feet  in  depth,  and  of  a  richness  scarcely  to  be  met  with 
elsewhere  in  any  arid  section.  They  found  a  country  diversified  as  to  surface;  portions  of  it  rolling,  and  other 
parts  with  gentle  slopes.  The  climate  was  equable;  no  excessive  heat  in  summer,  nor  extreme  cold  in  winter, 
and  a  nominal  rainfall.  Here,  too,  they  found  a  small  ditch,  which  some  fifteen  years  prior  a  few  farmers  had 
constructed,  and  beneath  it  they  had  built  beautiful  homes,  and  had  in  bearing  fine  orchards,  from  which  each 
year  they  were  reaping  rich  harvests.  This  ditch  left  the  Yakima  river  just  below  a  gap  where  the  river  pinches 
ittelf  between  two  high  hills.  Nature  seemed  to  have  designed  it  as  a  place  for  an  intake  of  a  great  canal. 
Ai  once  an  agreement  was  made  with  the  farmers  by  which  their  ditch,  known  as  the  Konnewock,  was  to  be 
owned  by  a  new  company,  and  enlarged  and  extended,  so  as  to  carry  1000  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second  of 
time,  and  serve  68,000,000  acres  of  land. 

In  1890  work  was  commenced  and  continued,  until  the  main  canal  was  constructed  to  nearly  the  forty- 
second  mile  post,  Laterals  were  constructed  and  land  sales  made.  !n  1892  water  was  first  used  by  the  new 
settlers  from  the  main  canal.  In  1893  the  great  panic  stagnated  everything.  Work  was  stopped,  and  the 
settlers  lived  the  best  they  could.  They  had  before  them  what  the  farmers  had  accomplished  under  the  Konne- 
wock ditch,  and  they  did  not  lose  faith.  They  cleared  their  land  of  the  sage  brush;  they  leveled  it;  they  placed 
water  upon  it;  they  planted  fields  of  alfalfa,  clover,  timothy,  corn  and  potatoes;  they  set  out  orchards  of  peaches, 
prunes,  pears,  apricots,  cherries  and  apples.  Everything  they  planted  grew;  nature  seemed  to  prosper  their 
efforts  By  degrees  others  came  into  the  country.  They  were  induced  to  come  by  reason  of  the  letters  sent 
them  by  the  first  settlers;  they,  too.  prospered.  To  a  large  extent  the  letters  of  these  people  will  be  allowed  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  Sunnyside  Canal;  what  has  already  been  accomplished  and  what  its  future  is,  and  corre- 
spondence with  them  is  invited. 

Already,  under  the  Sunnyside  Canal,  nearly  three  thousand  people  dwell  and  10,000  acres  of  land  are 
under  cultivation;  it  has  passed  out  of  thd  experimental  stage.  The  fact,  has  been  established  that  in  no  country 


PLATE  14 


A  NEW  SECTION  UNDER  IRRIGATION,  NEAR  ZILLAH 


can  a  large  ditch  be  more  easily  constructed  or  maintained.  The  amount  of  water  appropriated  is  1000  cubic 
feet  per  second  of  time.  That  potatoes,  corn,  alfalfa,  clover  and  timothy  can  be  grown  in  this  section  is  made 
manifest  by  the  many  letters  which  are  hereto  appended.  That  this  is  an  ideal  country  for  horticulture  is  well 
known  by  the  many  settlers  on  the  land,  and  the  fruit  merchants  of  Puget  Sound  cities.  Butte,  Helena,  Winnipeg, 
Minneapolis,  St.  Paul,  Duluth,  Chicago.  Milwaukee,  and  many  other  eastern  cities,  for  from  this  section  already 
large  quantities  of  fruit  have  been  shipped  to  these  points.  A  glance  at  the  map  of  the  west  will  show  that  the 
valley  of  the  Yakima  is  most  fortunately  situated  for  both  farming  and  horticulture.  Throughout  its  whole  length 
runs  the  great  Northern  Pacific  railway,  and  from  Portland,  Oregon,  another  railroad  is  projected,  and  the  same 
is  partially  constructed,  while  the  navigable  Columbia  River  is  close  at  hand.  For  miles  on  both  sides  of  the 
Yakima  River,  stretches  the  foothills  of  the  Cascades.  Here,  yearly,  large  flocks  of  sheep,  herds  of  cattle  and 
bands  of  horses  range,  These,  during  the  winter,  must  be  fed,  the  cattle  and  sheep  fattened  for  market.  For 
the  last  few  years  large  numbers  of  them  have  been  fed  by  the  farmers  of  the  Sunnyside  country.  In  this  way, 
alfalfa  has  been  disposed  of  at  $4.50  per  ton  in  the  stack.  When  one  realizes  that  an  acre  of  Sunnyside  land 
produces  eight  tons  of  alfalfa,  here  is  a  profit  per  acre  quite  amazing  to  the  farmer  of  New  England,  or  even  the 
central  west. 

There  is  no  danger  of  an  overproduction  of  hay  in  the  Yakima  valley.  There  is  scarcely  a  year  when 
any  hay  is  left  over  in  this  section.  The  cities  of  Puget  Sound,  the  logging  camps  of  the  great  wooded  belt  west 
cf  the  Cascade  Mountains,  and  of  late,  Alaska,  the  Hawaiian  and  Philippine  Islands,  are  great  hay  consumers. 

It  is,  however,  in  the  growing  of  fruit  that  the  rich  lands  of  the  Sunnyside  section  can  be  best  utilized. 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Wyoming,  the  Dakotas,  and  a  greater  portion  of  Montana,  Idaho,  Iowa  and  Nebraska, 
are  not  suited  to  the  growing  of  fruit.  Neither  can  fruit  be  profitably  raised  in  British  North  America  or  Alaska. 
In  this  vast  section  a  large  and  increasing  population  dwells,  and  the  amount  of  green,  canned  and  dried  fruit 
consumed  by  the  people  of  this  belt  is  enormous.  Nothing  is  more  common  than  fruit  shipped  in  carload  lots 


PLATE  15 


ALFALFA  FIELD,  UNDER  SUNNYSIDE  CANAL 


from  the  Yakima  valley;  and  the  day  is  near  at  hand  when  it  will  be  moved  in  train  loads.  This  is  a  consumma- 
tion wished  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company.  That  that  railway  company  is  in  accord  with  the  Sunny- 
side  on  the  line  of  horticulture,  we  will  quote  President  Mellen  as  follows:  "Not  a  bushel  of  fruit  will  rot  in  the 
Yakima  valley  by  reason  of  an  excessive  freight  rate."  As  evidence  that  fruit  does  not  rot  in  the  Sunnyside 
country,  over  two  years  ago  two  large  fruit  evaporators  were  erected,  but  so  great  has  been  the  demand  for  the 
green  products,  that  these  dryers  have  scarcely  been  operated. 

J)pice  of  kand  and  (©epme  of  J)ayment 


THE  amount  of  land  owned  by  the  Washington  Irrigation  Company  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  25,000  acres, 
and  it  is  being  sold  in  tracts  of  20  acres  or  more,  the  company  encouraging  small  holdings.     The  price 
of  land  ranges  from  $20  to  $40  per  acre,  according  to  quality,  and  the  ease  in  which  the  same  can  be 
put   under  cultivation.     The  terms  of  payment  are  one-fifth  down  and  the  balance  in  five  annual  payments. 
nothing  being  demanded  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  except  interest.     Deferred  payments  draw  interest  at  the 
rate  of  six  per  cent,  per  annum.     A  deduction  of  $2.50  per  acre  is  made  for  cash.     An  annual  maintenance 
charge  of  $1  per  acre  is  made.     This  is  less  by  60  cents  per  acre  than  the  average  maintenance  charge  for  irri- 
gation purposes  throughout  the  State  of  California,     With  each  160  acres  of  land  there  is  sold  a  cubic  foot  of 
water  per  second  of  time.     This  is  in  excess  of  what  is  necessary  for  the  perfect  irrigation  of  so  small  a  tract, 
but  as  there  is  an  abundance  of  water,  the  farmers  are  given  the  advantage  of  it. 

The  irrigation  season  extends  from  the  first  of  April  to  the  first  of  November  in  each  year.  This  gives 
the  sap  in  the  trees  a  chance  to  go  down  in  the  winter  season,  and  the  trees  thereby  escape  all  danger  from  frost 
and  cold. 


PLATE  10 


CURING  ALFALFA.     FARM  OF  W.  H.  CLINE,  SUNNYSIDE 


of  F^apmio^  and  4kvio<^  a  'Home  m  hl^e 


AS  has  already  been  stated,  there  are  only  33  rainy  days  in  a  year  in  this  section.     It  comes  as  near  being 
perpetual  sunshine  as  can  be  wished.     Only  during  a  few  weeks  in  the  winter  is  the  soil  so  frozen  that  it 
cannot  be  ploughed.     The  soil  is  light,  and  easily  turned  by  the  ploughshare,  and  one  harrowing  thor- 
oughly pulverizes  it.     A  roller,  however,  is  sometimes  used  to  pack  it. 

The  harvest  season  extends  from  early  June  to  November,  During  this  period  scarcely  any  rain  falls.  A 
farmer  does  not  hesitate  to  cut  down  a  large  field  of  alfalfa  —  cure,  windi  DW,  cock,  and  then  stack  it.  This  can 
be  done  with  impunity,  as  there  is  no  fear  of  a  shower  ruining  his  crop.  The  rancher's  crop  is  entirely  under 
his  control.  He  has  no  drouth,  nor  too  much  rain  to  contend  with,  Neither  are  there  any  cyclones  to  destroy 
his  crops,  orchards  and  buildings.  He  has  pure  air  to  breathe,  and  no  malignant  diseases  to  contend  with. 
During  the  whole  irrigation  season  he  has  an  ample  supply  of  water  for  his  stock,  fowls,  and  domestic  purposes. 
He  can  have  flocks  of  sheep,  and  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  ranging  back  upon  the  foothills  of  the  mountains 
and  table  lands  during  the  spring,  summer  and  autumn  —  in  the  winter  to  be  brought  home,  to  be  fed  and  fattened 
for  the  market.  Not  to  exceed  100  miles  from  his  dwelling  place,  a  high  grade  of  coal  is  mined,  and  this  can 
be  put  in  his  bin  for  winter  use  at  not  to  exceed  $3.50  per  ton.  There  being  no  long  period  of  cold  weather,  his 
fuel  bill  is  light;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  his  children  and  family  need  not  wear  the  heavy  clothing  of  the  New 
England  States,  nor  of  the  middle  west.  Here,  too,  his  children  can  receive  a  common  school  education,  quite 
as  good  as  that  furnished  by  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  for  the  Washington  farmer  takes  pride  in  the 
district  school.  Already,  under  the  Sunnyside,  10  districts  are  established,  and  school  maintained  therein. 
Neither  are  the  people  lacking  in  moral  or  religious  influences.  There  are  several  religious  denominations,  which 
hold  services  regularly  in  the  school  houses  and  public  halls,  and  money  is  now  being  raised  and  donations  made 


PLATE  17 


STACKING  ALFALFA.     FARM  Of  CAPT.  DUNN,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


toward  the  erection  of  a  number  of  fine  churches.  Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  people  of  this  section  are  of 
American  birth,  and  law  and  order  are  as  strictly  maintained  here,  as  in  the  central  portion  of  York  State.  In 
fact,  among  the  three  thousand  people  who  dwell  here,  there  is  only  one  saloon,  and  there  are  no  hotels  in  which 
liquor  is  sold.  The  Odd  Fellows  and  Woodmen  of  the  World  have  halls  of  their  own,  and  other  secret  orders 
are  maintained.  At  Sunnyside  there  is  a  brass  band,  and  the  national  game  is  quite  as  much  enjoyed  by  the 
youth  of  this  section  as  elsewhere.  A  private  telephone  system  is  maintained  by  a  number  of  the  farmers.  Three 
fine  bridges  span  the  Yakima  River,  and  connect  the  Sunnyside  with  the  railroad  stations  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railway.  Numerous  highways  are  being  built  and  maintained.  On  these  pages  are  shown  half-tones  and  photo- 
graphs of  actual  scenes  under  the  Sunnyside. 

To  all  this  might  be  added  scenic  beauty.  Far  below  the  land  watered  by  the  Sunnyside  Canal,  flows  the 
Yakima  River,  with  its  waters  during  a  greater  portion  of  the  season  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  across  and  beyond 
are  the  mountains  from  which  rise  Mount  Adams  and  Mount  Rainier,  towering  heavenward  —  the  latter  to  a  height 
of  14,444  feet.  These  mountains  and  peaks  are,  at  their  tops,  perpetually  snowclad;  and  in  them  are  forests 
and  streams  abounding  in  game  and  fish.  These  pleasure  grounds  can  be  reached  by  a  short  journey  on 
horseback. 


Intensive  v<;.  Extensive 


AS  has  already  been  stated,  the  Washington  Irrigation  Company  does  not  encourage  large  farms.     A  man 
is  as  well  off  with  10  acres  under  the  Sunnyside  as  he  is  with  40  acres  in  the  State  of  New  York.     Forty 
acres  is  all  one  man  ought  to  possess.     In  this  way,  instead  of  distributing  his  efforts  broadcast  upon  a 
wide  area,  he  concentrates  them  upon  a  small  farm,  and  makes  every  rod  of  ground  do  its  best.    The  long  season, 
with  its  early  spring  and  late  fall,  makes  it  possible  for  the  Yakima  farmer  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  raising 


PLATE  18 


ALFALFA  FIELD.     FARM  OF  CAPT.  DUNN,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


of  a  variety  of  crops,  selecting  those  which  experience  teaches  to  be  the  most  profitable.  This  is  known  as 
diversified  farming.  A  division  of  the  Sunnyside  district  into  small  farms,  insures,  ultimately,  a  dense  popula- 
tion. The  district  will  become  suburban  in  its  character,  and  therefore  most  eligible  for  a  home.  The  possibilities 
for  improvement  of  social  conditions  in  such  communities  are  practically  unlimited. 

of  Dpeapin    l^and  for3  Cultivation 


THE  cost,  per  acre,  to  clear,  grade,  and  place  water  upon  land  in  the  Sunnyside,  is  $12.50.     This  places 
the  land  in  condition  for  cropping.     The  Sunnyside  section  is  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  sagebrush; 
this  can   be  readily  removed  with  a  mattock,  a  good  worker  being  able  to  grub  an  acre  per  day.     The 
sagebrush  can  be  used  for  summer  fuel,  burned  in  heaps,  or  placed  upon  the  highway,  making  an  excellent  road. 
After  the  removal  of  the  sagebrush,  the  land  is  ploughed,  and  the  high  knolls  are  cut  down  either  with  an  ordi- 
nary scraper  or  with  a  so  called  buck  scraper,  to  which  four  horses  are  hitched.     The  buck  scraper  is  a  useful 
invention  for  the  leveling  of  ground  for  the  purpose  of  irrigation,  and  small  knolls  or  hummocks  are  cut  down  by 
means  of  a  scraper  resembling  that  used  for  scraping  highways  in  the  eastern  states  —  a  leveler  is  also  used.  This 
consists  of  six  long  timbers,  with  cross  pieces,  which  catch  the  higher  portions  and  carry  them  into  the  low  places. 


r 


HE  proximity  of  Yakima  County  to  the    great  timber  belt  of  Western  Washington,  makes   all   building 
material  much  cheaper  than  in  almost  any  other  part  of  the  United  States. 


PLATE  19 


LANDSCAPE,  NEAR  ZIULAH 


How  to  Reael?  tl^e 


THE  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company  runs  two  daily  trains,  equipped  with  Pullman  and  Tourist  sleepers, 
each  way  over  its  line.     These  pass  through  Toppenish  and  Mabton.     Land  seekers  are  met  at  Toppen- 
ish  and  taken  to  Zillah,  four  miles  distant,  where  the  company  has  its  office,  and  are  then  shown  the 
lands  of  the  Sunnyside  district.     Mabtown  is  opposite  the  town  of  Sunnyside,  and  seven  miles  distant.     A  good 
road  and  a  bridge  across  the  Yakima  River,  connect  these  two  places. 


of  Information 


THE  Washington  Irrigation  Company  earnestly  requests  all  homeseekers  to  write  to  the  settlers  under  the 
Sunnyside  ditch,  or  if  unable  to   do  this,  to  write  to  C.  W.  Mott,  General   Emigration  Agent,  Northern 
Pacific  Railway  Company,  St.  Paul,  Minnesota;  Thomas  Cooper,  Western  Land  Agent,  Northern  Pacific 
Railway  Company,  Tacoma,  Washington;  Fred   B.  Grinnell,   Spokane,   Washington;    H.    B.   Scudder,   North 
Yakima,  Washington;  Denny-Blaine  Land  Company,  Seattle,  Washington;  or  the  Washington  Irrigation  Com- 
pany, Zillah,  Washington. 


PLATE  20 


BLACKBERRIES  AND  PRUNE  ORCHARD.     FRUIT  FARM  OF  R.  D.  HEROD 


WHAT  OTHERS  HAVK  TO  SAY 
X    X 

In  the  preparation  of  this  little  book,  which,  it  is  hoped,  may  be  read  by  many  a  home  seeker,  we  have 
called  upon  the  people  of  the  Sunnyside  to  bear  witness,  and  give  evidence  of  the  productiveness  of  their  farms, 
and  make  statements  concerning  the  country  in  which  they  have  settled,  and  these  we  append  without  comment. 


Sunnyside,  Wash.,  Sept.   17,   1897. 
GENTLEMEN  : 

Washington's  fine  fruit  exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair  brought  me  to  this  State.  Her  fruit  exhibit,  in  my  opinion,  was  the 
finest  exhibit  there  in  point  of  appearance  and  size.  I  was  in  charge  of  the  Michigan  horticultural  exhibit  at  Chicago,  and  was 
appointed  on  a  committee  with  Professor  Fowter,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Strong,  of  Canada,  to  gather  fruit  from  various  state 
exhibits,  for  purposes  of  comparison.  In  this  way  I  had  every  opportunity  of  viewing  all  the  fruit  shown  at  Chicago.  After  seeing 
and  handling  the  Washington  fruit,  I  decided  to  come  to  this  State  and  raise  some  of  it  myself,  though  I  had  retired  from  actual  fruit 
growing  in  Michigan.  Three  years  ago  my  wife  and  1  moved  here  and  bought  ten  acres,  which  I  have  set  out  to  apples,  psars, 
peaches,  prunes  and  grapes.  Next  year  my  trees  will  begin  bearing.  I  am  sixty-seven  years  old,  and  think  that  these  ten  acres 
will  give  me  all  that  I  can  do.  I  would  advise  the  ordinary  settler  to  take  twenty  acres  of  land,  which  gives  enough  to  keep  some 
hogs  and  cattle.  I  have  made  a  study  of  fruit  growing  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  Sunnyside 
valley  will  be  one  of  the  great  fruit  growing  countries  of  the  world. 

In  Michigan  1  was  vice-president  of  the  State  Horticultural  Association;  president  for  five  years  of  the  West  Michigan 
Fruit  Growers'  Association,  having  its  headquarters  at  Grand  Rapids;  and  president  for  many  years  of  the  South  Haven  and  Casco 


PLATE  21 


SPRING  BROOK,  NEAR  ZILLAH 
FARM  BUILDINGS  OF  CAPT.  DUNN 


ROSE  BUSH 

MOWING  ALFALFA 


Pomological  Society,  with  headquarters  at  South  Haven,  65  miles  across  the  lake  from  Chicago.  I  lived  at  South  Haven  for 
thirty  years. 

I  have  studied  fruit  conditions  in  Yakima  County  for  three  years,  and  was  judge  of  fruit  at  the  State  Fair  at  North 
Yakima,  two  years  ago.  Regarding  the  kinds  of  fruit  best  adapted  for  this  valley,  I  would  say:  It  is  admitted  that  in  the  markets 
of  the  world  red  winter  apples  sell  for  the  highest  price.  Of  these  varieties,  I  would  plant  the  Esophus  Spitzenberg,  Jonathan, 
Baldwin,  Ben  Davis  and  Northern  Spy.  The  Wealthy,  a  native  of  Minnesota,  is  a  fine  red  apple,  and  worthy  of  a  place  in  every 
orchard.  The  Stark  and  Red  Canada  are  good  apples,  and  will  keep  until  spring.  For  summer  and  fall  use,  the  Red  Astrachan 
and  Yellow  Transparents,  and  Summer  Pippin.  For  late  fall,  the  Gravenstein,  a  German  apple,  and  Norton's  Melon,  one  of  the 
best  apples  for  the  table.  The  Rome  Beauty  is  a  good  apple. 

Of  peaches,  Early.  Charlotte,  Hale's  Early  and  Late  Crawford,  Elberta,  Susquehanna  andSalway,  are  among  the  varieties 
mostly  cultivated  for  market.  Other  deserving  varieties  include  Hill's  Chile,  Reeves'  Favorite,  Mixon  and  the  Smock  Freestone. 

Of  1000  or  more  varieties  of  pears,  the  Bartlett  is  first  in  the  estimation  of  our  people,  and  for  canning  is  without  an  equal.  For 
market  purposes,  orchardists  would  do  well  to  plant  a  portion  of  Clapp's  Favorite.  The  fruit  is  of  fairly  good  flavor,  large,  and 
richly  colored.  The  d'Anjou  is  a  fine  pear  of  French  origin,  and  grows  several  degrees  larger,  and  is  of  richer  flavor  in  this  state 
than  in  its  native  country.  It  does  well  in  this  country,  but  is  weak  in  its  fertilizing  properties,  and  on  this  account  should  bs 
planted  in  rows  alternating  with  Seckel  or  Howell.  The  Howel  is  a  la"ge  pear  of  good  quality.  The  Seckel  stands  first  in  qual- 
.  ity,  but  is  scarcely  of  medium  size.  In  this  country,  however,  fruit  grows  to  nearly  double  the  size  it  usually  attains  in  the  East. 
This  pear  commands  a  high  price  in  the  majket.  For  winter  markets,  the  Estee  Beaurre,  and  Winter  Nellis  are  considered 
the  best. 

Washington  is  justly  celebrated  for  the  size,  beauty  and  flavor  of  her  prunes  and  plums.  The  varieties  of  prunes  chiefly 
cultivated  are  Hungarian,  Italian,  French  and  Silver.  Of  plums,  the  Green  Gage  stands  first  in  quality.  Other  plums  which  do 
well  here,  include  the  Bradshaw,  Coe's  Golden,  the  Yellow  Egg,  and  Riene  Clande  da  Bavay. 


goil  j2!!!  i^ah  Can  <ge 


The  three  principal  natural  agents  for  the  production  of  fine  fruit  are  soil,  sunshine  and  water.  The  soil  of  the  Yakima 
country  is  all  that  can  be  desired — rich  in  all  the  elements  necessary  for  the  formation  of  a  vigorous  growth  of  timber;  and, 
without  a  strong,  healthy  growth  of  timber,  we  cannot  expect  to  gather  first  class  fruit.  The  soil  of  this  country  is  not  only  rich 


PLATE  22 


PEACH  TREE,  BECKNELL  FRUIT  FARM,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


on  its  surface,  but  downward  to  a  depth  of  thirty,  or  even  forty  feet,  in  many  places.  This  fact  proves  that  our  soil  is  almost 
inexhaustible  in  its  nature.  The  writer  saw  trees  growing  in  this  country  six,  seven,  and  eight  years  ago,  heavily  laden  with 
fruit,  and  the  same  season  they  made  from  15  to  24  inches  of  timber.  This,  alone,  goes  a  long  way  to  prove  the  stimulating 
properties  of  our  soil. 

In  Michigan,  trees  of  the  same  age,  having  a  less  quantity  of  fruit,  would  make  little  or  no  timber.  It  is  well  understood 
by  practical  fruit  growers  that  a  growth  of  from  4  to  6  inches  on  the  apple  tree,  annually,  is  necessary  for  the  health  of  the  tree, 
and  for  the  assurance  of  a  fair  crop.  Now,  when  we  find  that  trees,  whether  apple,  peach,  pear  or  prune,  grown  in  this  country, 
will  bear,  as  they  do,  nearly  double  the  quantity  of  superior  fruit  they  do  in  the  Eastern  States,  and  make  at  the  same  time  treble 
the  growth  of  timber,  we  are  forced  to  attribute  these  effects  to  some  cause  or  causes.  Soil  is  the  principal  cause,  for,  without 
good  soil,  sunshine  and  water  will  not  bring  forth  such  effects.  From  observations  since  I  came  to  live  in  Yakima  valley,  I  am 
led  to  believe  that  fruit  can  be  grown  profitably  for  40  per  cent,  less  than  can  be  done  in  Michigan  or  Illinois.  Sunshine  is  neces- 
sary for  the  production  of  fine  flowers  and  fine  colored  fruit.  In  California  the  sunshine  is  too  intense  during  the  day,  and  the 
heat  too  strong  during  the  night,  to  admit  of  long-keeping,  crisp  apples,  or  the  finest  flavored  peaches.  The  apples  of  that  state 
grow  large,  as  do  the  peaches,  but  will  not,  in  my  opinion,  compare  in  flavor  with  apples  or  peaches  grown  in  this  state,  Mich- 
gan  or  New  Jersey. 

In  Yakima  County  there  is  almost  continual  sunshine,  from  April  1  to  November  1,  while  the  heat  ranges  from  75 
to  85  degrees  above,  with  a  few  days  when  the  mercury  rises  to  95  and  100  degrees.  This  degree  of  heat  is  iust  about 
right,  with  cool  nights,  to  impart  a  rich  color  and  fine  flavor  to  fruit.  At  the  World's  Fair,  at  Chicago,  in  1893,  it  was  generally 
conceded  that  the  fruit  from  Washington,  taken  as  a  whole,  was  the  finest  on  exhibition;  the  fruit  from  California  being  a  little 
too  dark,  caused  by  too  much  sunshine  and  heat,  while  the  fruit  from  Eastern  States  was  lacking  in  color.  A  certain  degree  of 
cold  in  winter  is  also  necessary  for  the  production  of  fine  flavored  fruit,  such  as  apples  and  peaches. 

JOSEPH  LANNIN. 


Sunnyside,  Wash.,  June  23rd,  1900. 
R.  H.  Denny,  Esq.,  Seattle,  Wash. 

DEAR  SIR:  Yours  of  the  20th,  asking  if  I  wish  to  make  any  modifications  in  a  letter  printed  in  a  circular  issued  by  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company,  September  17,  1897,  received.  No,  sir.  But  I  can  say  truly:  I  am  more  in  love  with  the 
Sunnyside  District  than  I  was  five  years  ago.  It  is  all,  and  more  than  I  expected  it  to  be,  for  the  production  of  all  kinds  of  fruit 


PLATE  23 


VIEW  ONE.     LANDSCAPE,  BELOW  ZILLAH,  SHOWING  HOME  OF  M.  E.  KANE 


and  vegetables.  From  two  cherry  trees  planted  four  years  ago,  I  sold  this  month  $4.00  worth  of  fruit,  besides  enough  for  our 
family.  This  is  simply  a  sample  of  what  fruit  will  do  in  the  Sunnyside  valley.  1  know  of  no  place  in  our  whole  country  where 
there  are  so  many  inducements  for  a  man  with  limited  means,  as  this  valley.  Yours  respectfully, 

JOSEPH  LANNIN. 

ar2d  Alfalfa 

GENTLEMEN:  Parker,  Wash.,  October  30,  1899. 

1  have  lived  in  the  Sunnyside  valley  for  twenty-three  years,  and  on  my  present  ranch  nineteen  years.  My  place  is  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  valley,  and  we  originally  watered  our  land  with  a  farmer's  ditch.  Later,  the  canal  company  built  the  big 
irrigation  canal,  and  absorbed  our  little  ditch,  since  when  we  have  had  an  abundance  of  water  for  all  purposes.  1  have  291  acres 
which  were  taken  up  as  desert  and  timber  claims.  I  have  40  acres  planted  in  hops,  and  40  to  winter  apples'  including  Spitzen- 
berg,  Wolfe  River,  and  Rome  Beauty,  my  orchard  being  eight  years  old.  I  have  eight  acres  planted  in  timber,  and  a  hundred 
trees  in  black  walnuts,  which  are  bearing.  The  balance  of  my  farm  consists  of  alfalfa  fields.  My  orchard  is  doing  well,  con- 
sidering that  the  trees  are  young  and  just  coming  into  bearing.  My  hop  fields  produced  1800  pounds  of  dried  hops  to  the  acre 
this  year.  Sometimes  1  have  taken  a  ton  of  hops  to  the  acre  from  it.  Last  year  the  price  was  \4}4  cents,  and  this  year  1 1  cents, 
leaving  a  good  profit.  We  can  grow  hops  here  for  7^  cents  per  pound,  including  labor,  teams,  and  everything.  In  fact,  I  have 
contracted  to  have  my  hops  grown  and  harvested  next  year,  and  delivered  to  me  baled,  on  the  hop  house  floor,  for  7^  cents  per 
pound,  Hop  experts  tell  me  that  the  hops  grown  here  are  equal  to  any  in  the  world,  whether  English  or  American. 

I  have  sold  the  bulk  of  my  alfalfa  crop  at  $4.00  per  ton;  I  have  200  tons  left,  for  which  sheepmen  have  offered  me  $4.50 
a  ton  in  the  stack.  I  have  refused  this,  believing  that  the  price  will  go  higher.  From  170  acres  of  alfalfa  1  cut  1 150  tons  of  hay 
this  year;  this  averages  6j^  tons  to  the  acre,  or  $30.00  an  acre  at  present  prices. 

As  a  stock  country  this  cannot  be  excelled.  I  have  traveled  from  Maine  to  Washington,  and  through  Texas  and  the 
south,  and  !  have  never  found  any  place  where  I  would  like  to  live,  except  this  valley.  It  has  a  healthful  climate,  and  a  good 
class  of  people  live  here.  We  have  good  schools.  I  did  not  fully  appreciate  a  good  home  until  I  went  to  Europe  last  winter;  I 
could  not  be  hired  to  live  over  there,  and  got  back  as  soon  as  I  could. 

We  grow  here  the  very  finest  potatoes  in  the  world;  in  fact  we  can  grow  anything  that  one  will  put  in  the  ground  and 
take  care  of — that  is,  anything  that  grows  in  a  temperate  climate.  I  came  here  from  southwestern  Missouri,  near  Joplin. 

ROBERT  DUNN. 


PLATE  24 


VIEW  Two.     LANDSCAPE,  BELOW  ZILLAH,  SHOWING  HOME  OP  M.  E.  KANE 


Zillah,  Wash.,  October  31,  1899. 
GENTLEMEN  : 

I  have  a  ten-acre  place  under  the  Sunnyside  Canal,  and  am  making  a  good  living.  I  have  seven  acres  of  orchard  set  to 
summer  and  winter  apples,  prunes,  plums,  gages,  peaches,  pears  appricots,  nectarines,  quinces,  grapes  and  cherries.  We  have 
also  black  walnuts,  butternuts,  and  all  kinds  of  berries,  including  gooseberries,  red  and  black  raspberries,  dew-berries,  wine- 
berries,  currants,  blackberries,  etc. 

I  came  here  seven  years  ago,  and  set  out  my  main  orchard  the  next  year.  We  have  made  a  good,  liberal  living  off  the 
place  ever  since  we  got  it  well  started.  Besides  our  living,  we  have  sold  $1000  worth  of  fruit,  etc.,  from  the  ranch  this  year. 
We  had  300  boxes  of  winter  apples  from  2^  acres  of  six-year-old  trees,  just  beginning  to  bear.  Some  of  the  trees  will  not  begin 
bearing  until  next  year.  We  had  200  boxes  of  summer  apples,  and  152  boxes  of  Italian  prunes.  We  have  also  sold  a  big  quan- 
tity of  French  and  Hungarian  prunes,  Silver  and  Golden  prunes,  Egg  plums,  Washington  plums,  Yellow  and  Greengages,  etc. 
From  one  six-year-old  tree,  of  Male's  Early  peaches,  we  sold  $15.00  worth,  at  least,  and  maybe  more.  We  also  have  Foster  and 
Crawford's  Early  peaches,  apricots,  and  red  and  white  nectarines;  we  have  sold  peaches  almost  daily  from  the  middle  of  July  until 
in  October.  During  the  entire  period  we  have  taken  in  $2.00  to  $25.00  a  day  from  fruit  sold  at  retail  to  newcomers  and  ranchers, 
whose  orchards  are  not  yet  in  bearing.  This  year  we  sold  on  the  trees  our  Italian  prunes,  and  part  of  the  summer  apples. 
Buyers  are  plentiful  here,  and  will  buy  fruit  either  on  the  trees,  or  after  it  is  packed.  Horticulturists  use  their  prerogative  to  sell 
either  way,  as  they  can  do  the  best.  I  own  three  horses,  two  cows,  chickens,  and  a  number  of  hogs,  and  we  have  our  own  butter 
and  cream. 

I  lived  for  eighteen  years  in  Franklin  County,  Neb.,  in  the  cyclone  belt.  Storms  destroyed  our  crops  for  four  years  in 
succession,  and  then  I  decided  to  come  to  Washington.  I  have  traveled  over  the  world  considerably,  and  consider  this  the  best 
country  I  have  ever  found.  My  tent  is  pitched  here  for  good;  I  say  this  after  living  in  Los  Angeles  and  other  places.  For  varied 
products,  depth  and  fertility  of  soil,  climate,  and  general  possibilites  of  life  all  through,  this  is  the  best  place  on  earth,  I  believe. 
We  have  always  had  an  abundant  supply  of  water,  and  are  always  able  to  sell  our  fruit  in  the  orchard,  without  hauling  it  away. 
I  spsnt  part  of  last  year  back  in  New  York,  where  I  was  born.  The  electrical  storms  caused  tremendous  damage  there,  and  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  back  home,  where  we  never  have  any  thunder  and  lightning. 

J.  P.  DOUGLASS. 


PLATE  25 


FIELD  OF  MIXED  TIMOTHY  AND  CLOVER,  D.  B.  EBY  RANCH,  SUNNYSIDE 


The  past  year  has  been  one  of  unusual  activity  in  the  Sunnyside  country.  More  lands  have  been  sold;  more  actual 
settlers  have  come,  and  more  material  advancement  made  than  during  any  three  previous  years  of  the  country's  history. 
Nothing  in  the  nature  of  a  boom  has  existed,  but  the  tendency  has  been  toward  substantial  and  permanent  improvement. 
A  goodly  number  of  large  and  well  designed  modern  country  houses,  besides  numerous  smaller  unpretentious  houses  have  been 
built  or  are  under  way.  On  the  first  of  March  more  than  fifty  new  buildings  could  be  counted  from  one  spot  near  the  town  of 
Sunnyside,  and  many  more  have  been  put  up  since.  As  an  indication  of  the  rate  of  growth  it  may  be  said  that  the  records  at  the 
postoffices  of  Zillah  and  Sunnysi  le  show  that  the  number  of  people  who  get  mail  at  these  places  has  more  than  doubled  in  the 
past  year.  The  enterprise  and  public  spirit  shown  by  the  people  is  encouraging,  and  the  Irrigation  Company,  in  order  to  keep 
pace  with  the  general  progress  of  the  country,  has  made,  and  has  under  way,  a  number  of  desirable  and  permanent  improvements 
in  its  property,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  a  new  and  substantial  dam  across  the  Yakima  River  at  the  intake  (built  of  steel 
upon  a  concrete  foundation),  for  the  purpose  of  diverting  water  from  the  river  into  the  canal;  together  with  a  neat  stone  house  of 
modern  design  at  the  headgate;  two  new  waste  ways  and  structures  on  the  main  canal,  one  at  Zillah  and  the  other  at  Black  Rock 
Canyon,  that  will  materially  aid  in  the  safe  operation  of  the  canal;  about  35  miles  of  branch  canals  and  laterals  added  to  the 
distributory  system;  over  200,000  feet  of  lumber  in  new  structures,  besides  many  other  smaller  and  less  important  improvements, 
made  necessary  by  the  rapid  development  of  the  country  and  to  accommodate  the  increased  demand  for  water  by  new  settlers. 

Marked  progress  has  been  made  in  the  dairy  and  livestock  industries,  both  of  which  are  so  well  adapted  to  the  Sunnyside 
country.  Our  farmers  have  discovered  that  more  money  can  be  realized  from  their  hay  by  feeding  than  by  selling  in  the  stack — 
in  the  one  case  bringing  from  $10.00  to  $15.00  per  ton,  and  in  the  other  from  $3.50  to  $5.00  per  ton.  Several  hundred  head  of 
high  grade  milch  cows  have  been  shipped  in,  and  agents  are  now  in  the  East  buying  good  milch  stock  in  carload  lots  to  fill  the 
orders  of  the  Sunnyside  farmers.  The  dairy  industry  promises  to  reach  large  proportions  in  the  near  future.  What  is  true  cf 
that  industry  holds  good  as  to  livestock  in  general.  Large  numbers  of  high  grade  beef  cattle, — Short  Horns  and  Hereforos, — 
pure  bred  swine,  mutton  and  wool  sheep,  besides  fancy  poultry,  have  been  brought  in  during  the  past  year.  Mention  should  also 
be  made  of  a  number  of  fine  stallions,  both  for  road  and  draught  purposes,  especially  the  handsome  Percheron  stallions  brought 
from  Illinois  by  T.  C.  Williams,  proprietor  of  the  Sunnyside  Hotel;  and  it  is  evident  that  the  Sunnyside  country  is  destined  to 
become  famous  for  the  production  of  all  kinds  of  high  grade  livestock. 

Our  school  houses,  which  have  always  been  the  pride  of  the  Sunnyside  district,  and  which  had  become  inadequate  for 


*Z&  ',- 


PLATE  26 


HOP  FIELD,  NEAR  SUNNYSIDE,  JUNE  9rH,   1900.     FARM  OF  MR.  WALLACE 


the  increased  number  of  pupils,  were  supplemented,  during  the  year,  by  three  new  buildings,  all  commodious,  modern  in  design, 
and  in  keeping  with  the  older  houses.  Others  will  be  required  in  the  near  future,  and  will,  doubtless,  be  built  as  soon  as  demanded. 

The  enterprise  and  morality  of  the  district  is  apparent  in  the  churches  already  organized.  Three  large  buildings  have 
been  completed  and  three  more  are  under  construction.  These  are  described  as  follows:  A  Presbyterian  Church  in  Parker 
Bottom,  a  frame  building  to  be  completed  in  August  next;  a  Christian  Church  in  Zillah,  a  neat  frame  building,  dedicated  on 
June  2d  last;  an  Episcopal  Church  in  Zillah,  of  soft  gray  sandstone,  which  would  be  a  credit  to  any  community,  will  be  completed 
August  1st;  an  Episcopal  Church  in  Sunnyside,  a  frame  building,  to  be  completed  July  1st;  a  German  Baptist  Church  in  Sunny- 
side,  a  neat  frame  building,  to  be  dedicated  in  a  few  days,  and  a  Federated  Church  in  Sunnyside,  a  frame  building,  just 
completed,  that  is  the  largest  and  of  the  most  modern  design  of  any  in  the  county,  and  deserves  more  than  passing  mention.  The 
organization  represents  the  most  advanced  ideas  in  church  union,  and  is  composed  of  five  different  church  societies,  as  follows: 
Baptist,  Methodist,  Congregational,  Presbyterian,  and  Progressive  Dunkards,  each  having  an  independent  organization  and 
interest  in  the  building. 

The  Sunnyside  Townsite  Company  has  shown  a  commendable  spirit  in  seeding  all  of  the  vacant  lots,  and  covering  the 
streets  with  sagebrush,  which  makes  a  fine  roadbed  when  crushed  into  the  soil  by  travel.  The  building  of  sagebrush  roads  has 
been  carried  on,  in  a  limited  way,  all  over  the  country,  but  not  to  the  extent  that  it  should  be. 

In  conclusion,  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Sunnyside  country  by  the  addition  of  nearly  five  hundred  new  families,  and 
several  thousand  acres  of  new  hay  and  orchard  lands,  to  the  cultivated  area,  has  been  a  surprise  to  even  the  most  enthusiastic 
supporters,  and  judging  from  present  indications,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  progress  of  the  past  year  will  be  fully  equalled,  if  not 
exceeded,  during  the  coming  year. 

WALTER  N.  GRANGER, 

Zillah,  Wash.,  June  12,  1901  General  Superintendent. 


Sunnyside,  Wash.,  October  31,  1899. 
GENTLEMEN  : 

I  came  here  from  Lanark,  111.,  last  March,  and  have  120  acres,  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Sunnyside.  In  the  six 
months  I  have  been  here,  I  have  seeded  and  planted  the  entire  ranch.  I  have  32  acres  in  clover  and  timothy,  7  acres  in  orchard 
and  yards  and  the  balance,  80  acres,  in  alfalfa.  I  know,  by  my  own  experience,  that  all  of  this  valley  can  be  made  highly  pro- 


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PLATE  27 


FULL  GROWN  HOPS,  SUNNYSIDE.     FARM  OF  D.  A.  MCDONALD 


ductive.  On  41  acres  of  alfalfa  I  have  pastured  all  summer  1  1  old  hogs  and  13  shoats,  all  the  time,  and  10  head  of  work  horses 
nights,  Sundays  and  idle  days.  All  of  this  stock  has  done  well  and  fattened,  I  think  this  is  a  very  encouraging  showing  for 
stockmen. 

The  climate  and  fruit  brought  me  out  here.  It  is  my  purpose  to  go  into  stockraising.  My  wife  has  raised  this  summer 
all  kinds  of  garden  truck  that  grows  in  a  temperate  climate.  Our  sweet  corn  and  potatoes  have  been  especially  fine.  They  are 
as  fine  flavored  as  any  corn  or  tomatoes  raised  in  Illinois  or  Iowa. 

Butter  always  brings  a  big  price  here,  and  alfalfa  makes  a  good,  rich  feed  for  the  cows.  We  have  been  getting  50  cents 
a  roll  at  local  stores,  for  two  months,  for  ordinary  ranch  butter.  This  country  is  also  especially  adapted  to  poultry  raising.  There 
are  no  rains  to  drown  out  the  chickens,  or  chill  them,  and  no  rats  to  kill  them  off.  Prices  paid  here  for  eggs  and  poultry  are  30 
per  cent,  better  than  the  prices  paid  in  the  East.  1  am  familiar  with  this  subject,  for  I  supplied  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St. 
Paul,  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroads  with  butter,  and  part  of  the  time  with  eggs,  for  many  years.  I  operated 
a  large  creamery  near  Lanark  for  this  purpose.  We  are  very  well  satisfied  with  this  country. 

S.  J.   HARRISON. 


ho  Philadelphia  aod  Oh^er3 

Zillah,  Wash.,  October  31,  1899. 


GENTLEMEN  : 

I  live  three  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Zillah.  I  have  ten  acres  in  prunes,  which  bore  the  first  crop  this  year.  I 
shipped  four  carloads  of  green  prunes  to  Chicago,  Minneapolis,  Philadelphia  and  Cincinnati.  The  car  sent  to  Chicago  contained 
960  crates  of  Italian  prunes,  which  sold  at  $1.20  and  $1.35  per  crate,  giving  me  gross  returns  of  $1  100,  and  net  returns  of  $750, 
after  paying  freight,  commissions,  etc.  The  car  shipped  to  Cincinnati  sold  at  $1.05  to  $1.25  per  crate  of  twenty  pounds.  This  is 
a  very  good  showing  for  a  new  orchard;  an  orchard  of  prunes  in  full  bearing  will  produce  a  carload  to  the  acre.  I  have  also  sold 
650  boxes  of  apples,  at  95  cents  and  $1.00  a  box. 

I  came  here  six  years  ago  from  Colorado.  I  consider  this  essentially  a  fruit  country.  It  will  produce  a  variety  of  high 
grade  crops,  such  as  hops,  alfalfa  and  fruit.  I  do  not  think  this  country  can  be  beaten;  at  any  rate  I  would  not  leave  it. 

F.  L.  ROWLAND. 


PLATE  28 


IMPROVEMENTS  IN  THE  SUNNYSIDE 


Climate 

Zillah,  Wash.,  June  9,  1900. 
Washington  Irrigation  Co.,  Zillah. 

GENTLEMEN:  In  answer  to  your  question  whether  the  Sunnyside  is  a  healthful  section,  I  beg  leave  to  state  that  I  am  a 
graduate  of  the  Kentucky  School  of  Medicine,  and  for  the  last  seven  years  have  followed  my  profession  in  Zillah  and  vicinity. 

My  primary  object  in  coming  to  this  section  was  to  get  relief  from  asthma,  which  for  years  had  given  me  serious  trouble 
and  inconvenience.  Within  a  few  weeks  after  my  arrival  I  felt  greatly  relieved,  and  within  one  year  all  traces  of  the  disease  had 
left  me,  and  I  am  now,  and  ever  since,  have  been  absolutely  free  from  it. 

As  the  best  proof  that  the  Sunnyside  district  is  healthful,  I  will  say  that  I  have  been  the  only  physician  that  has  practiced 
at  this  place,  and  I  have  attended  to  the  medical  needs  of  nearly  three  thousand  people.  In  other  localities,  every  one  thousand 
persons  seem  to  need  the  services  of  one  doctor.  The  reason,  in  my  judgment,  that  there  is  so  very  little  sickness  in  this  section, 
is  that  the  prevailing  wind  is  from  the  west;  there  is  scarcely  a  day  that  there  is  not  a  breeze  stirring,  and  the  air,  moving  from 
the  mountains,  and  spreading  out  over  the  plain,  is  perfectly  pure.  While  there  are  some  hot  days,  the  heat  is  of  short  duration, 
lasting  from  10  A.  M.  to  4  p.  M.,  and  the  nights  are  always  cool.  The  climate  being  dry  (the  annual  rainfall  being  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  eight  inches),  rheumatic,  throat  and  lung  troubles  are  hardly  known.  Of  late  it  has  been  reported  that  there  have  been 
cases  of  scarletina  in  the  lower  country;  but  my  experience  is  that  persons  thought  to  have  scarletina  have  only  German  measles, 
as  no  deaths  result.  As  to  pneumonia,  I  have  had  but  two  cases,  and  there  have  never  been  any  other  cases  reported  that  I  know 
of;  and  the  country  is  absolutely  free  from  smallpox.  Now  and  then  people  are  sick  with  chills  and  fever.  This  is  the  result  of 
the  land  being  newly  broken,  and  water  placed  over  it  for  irrigation  purposes,  and  allowed  to  stand  in  low  places.  This  can  be 
remedied  by  proper  drainage  of  the  waste  water.  This  sickness  is,  however,  of  a  mild  form,  and  a  doctor's  services  are  scarcely 
ever  required. 

I  like  the  climate,  the  people  and  the  soil,  and  without  doubt  will  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days  at  this  place. 

Very  truly,  DR.  A.  McCRACKAN. 


PLATI  28 


APPLE  TREE,  BECKNELL  FRUIT  FARM,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


Sunnyside,  Wash.,  June  3,  1901. 

Washington  Irrigation  Co.,  Zillah,  Wash. 

GENTLEMEN:  You  have  asked  me  for  a  letter  concerning  the  Sunnyside.  Willingly  I  accede  to  your  wishes.  To  siart 
with,  let  me  state  that  I  am  an  enthusiast.  1  believe  there  is  no  other  section  with  the  same  prospects  as  this.  What  impels  me 
to  speak  so  favorably  of  this  country  is,  that  one  with  so  little  can  do  so  much.  Here,  where  a  few  years  ago,  there  was  nothing 
but  sagebrush  and  jack  rabbits,  we  have  now  beautiful  farms  and  orchards.  There  are  no  paupers,  but  all  are  profitably  employed. 
At  the  present  there  is  more  work  than  there  are  people  to  do  it.  There  is  work  for  every  member  of  the  family,  from  the  six- 
year-old  to  the  grandfather.  Children  are  profitable  in  this  country.  They  are  first  employed  in  the  picking  of  strawberries,  then 
the  other  numerous  small  fruits,  including  cherries,  followed  by  apricots,  peaches,  pears,  prunes,  plums,  apples,  etc.  Finally 
comes  the  jolly  time  of  gathering  hops.  Whole  families  have  been  so  profitably  employed  in  this  line  of  work  that  they  have 
been  able  to  more  than  live  off  of  their  earnings. 

As  to  irrigation,  boys  and  old  men  can  keep  the  water  running  over  large  fields,  and  the  soil  is  so  easily  cultivated  that 
a  mere  boy  can  hold  a  plough. 

All  sorts  of  labor  in  this  country  is  held  honorable.  A  woman,  if  she  wishes  to,  can  farm  or  sell  town  lots.  As  for 
myself,  in  the  last  year  I  have  sold  a  number  of  town  lots  in  Sunnyside  and  a  few  tracts  of  land. 

While  the  Sunnyside  has  made  wonderful  progress  in  material  development,  the  social  side  has  not  lagged.  At  Sunny- 
side  we  expect  to  have  a  reading  room  for  the  old  and  young;  we  have  a  guild,  a  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  and  literary 
societies.  We  meet  and  have  public  entertainments,  in  which  all  join. 

I  have  lived  here  for  six  years,  and  during  the  whole  of  this  period  there  has  been  no  law  breaking  scarcely  worthy  of 
mention:  neither  has  there  been  any  social  scandals.  We  have  an  excellent  school  and  are  soon  to  have  a  fine  Episcopal  church, 
and  the  Dunkard  colony  and  Federated  Society  have  commodious  houses  of  worship. 

As  1  ride  about  the  country  and  observe  the  large  farm  houses  and  broad  fields,  so  nicely  levelled  for  irrigation,  and 
bearing  heavy  growths  of  timothy,  clover  and  alfalfa:  the  orchards,  with  their  perfect  rows  of  trees;  horses,  cattle,  pigs  and 
sheep,  and  not  a  poor  one  among  them;  long  lines  of  highway  well  fenced,  and  farmers  everywhere  at  work,  I  can  scarcely  realize 
that  the  canvass  of  this  scene  six  years  ago  was  a  sagebrush  waste.  1  am  so  glad  I  am  an  enthusiast,  for  1  feel  that  my 
enthusiasm  has  located  a  number  in  the  Sunnyside  section,  who  today  are  the  possessors  of  fine  homes,  and  are  happy  in  the 
ownership  of  them;  and  I  shall  certainly  do  all  in  my  power  to  bring  the  less  fortunate  of  the  east  and  other  localities  and  have 
them  settle  here. 

I  might  spsak  of  the  growing  of  different  kinds  of  fruits,  hay,  cereals,  poultry,  stock  and  of  dairying.  They  are  all 
profitably  followed.  Should  1  state  what  wonderful  things  I  have  seen  and  of  the  things  I  have  heard  and  re-heard  concerning 
the  productiveness  of  our  farms  in  the  growth  of  all  sorts  of  produce,  I  am  satisfied  that  what  I  should  say  would  not  be  believed; 
for  a  great  majority  of  the  people  cannot  appreciate  how  much  more  productive  land  is  when  watered  by  means  of  irrigation,  than 
when  watered  by  the  rainfall.  Yours  truly, 

MARGARET  J.  CLINE. 
(Mrs.  W.  H.) 


PLATE  30         ON  ROAD  TO  RAILROAD  STATION 

HOGS  IN  ALFALFA,  FARM  OF  H.  M.  LECHTY 


SCHOOLHOUSE  AT  SuNNYSIDE 

SHEEP  m  ALFALFA 


**** 


PLATE  31 


SUNNYSIDE  SHEEP  READY  FOR  THE  MARKET 


PLATE  32 


ORCHARD  SCENE,  FRUIT  FARM  OF  MR.  BAKER,  PARKER  BOTTOM 


PLATE  33 


LANDSCAPE,  ABOVE  ZILLAH 


PLATE  34 


VINEYARD  AND  PEACH  ORCHARD,  NEAR  ZIU.AH 


aod 

Zillah,  June  8,  1900. 
Washington  Irrigation  Company,  Zillah,  Washington. 

GENTLEMEN:     Your  question,  "How  do  I  like  the  Sunnyside?"  I  will  answer  in  this  wise: 

I  used  to  live  in  Lyons  county,  Iowa.  Five  years  ago  I  settled  upon  twenty  acres  of  Sunnyside  land.  As  soon  as  possible 
I  improved  it,  putting  in  eleven  acres  of  winter  apples,  three  acres  of  mixed  fruit  —  cherries,  pears,  prunes,  apricots,  grapes, 
berries,  etc.,  including  some  black  walnut  trees  —  and  the  balance  in  timothy  and  clover.  At  two  years  old  my  grapes  — 
Concords—  commenced  bearing,  and  this  year  I  will  have  an  excellant  crop.  At  four  years  of  age  my  walnut  trees  bore  and  the 
nuts  matured,  and  this  year  they  give  promise  of  an  abundant  crop.  My  apple  trees  the  present,  as  in  the  last  two  years,  will 
yield  well. 

The  Sunnyside  is  a  good  enough  section  for  me,  Already  I  have  induced  a  number  of  my  old  friends  and  acquaintances 
to  come  here  and  settle,  and  I  am  going  to  keep  on  in  the  good  work.  y  trulv 


Zillah,  Wash.,  June  10,  1900. 
R.  H.  Denny,  Esq.,  Manager  Washington  Irrigation  Company,  Seattle,  Wash. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  DENNY:  I  do  not  know  why  you  should  ask  me  concerning  hunting  and  fishing  near  the  Sunnyside,  unless 
it  be  the  fact  that  one  of  your  friends  was  able  to  induce  me  lately  to  go  fishing  with  him.  But,  to  be  frank  with  you,  I  will 
admit  that  I  like  to  commune  with  Nature,  and  the  gun  and  fishing  rod  are  always  reminders  of  many  a  day  pleasantly  spent. 
Even  now,  the  years  creeping  on  apace,  I  love  the  brook  where  lives  the  sportive  trout,  the  sedgy  pond  where  just  at  dark  the 
Mallard  splashes,  and  the  stubblefield  where  in  thousands  the  wild  goose  lights. 

For  years  it  has  been  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  go  fishing  in  the  Yakima  river,  which  is  almost  within  a  stone's  throw  of 
my  home,  and  in  the  many  mountain  streams  that  empty  into  it.  I  also  have  enjoyed  duck  shooting  in  the  sloughs  and  ponds  of 
the  Yakima  valley;  and  on  the  Indian  reservation,  just  across  the  river.  I  have  spent  hours  following  the  prairie  hen  in  her  whirr 
and  flight.  And  dead  must  be  the  soul  of  him  who,  for  the  last  six  years,  has  lived  in  the  Sunnyside  and  has  never  visited  Horse 
Heaven.  There  is  but  one  Horse  Heaven  in  the  United  States,  and  that  is  in  the  state  of  Washington,  within  easy  distance  of 
Zillah.  I  have  been  there  several  times,  and  for  about  a  month  after  each  trip  nothing  rings  in  my  ears  but  the  honk  of  wild 


PLATE  35 


FARM  SCENE  IN  THE  SUNNYSIDE.     FARM  OF  MR.  McLouGHUN 


geese.     In  Horse  Heaven  they  are  everywhere  —  in  the  air,  in  the  sagebrush,  in  the  grass  and  in  the  stubblefield.     Game  "hogs" 
have  been  known  to  kill  as  high  as  seventy-five  in  a  day. 

That  I  may  not  be  taken  in  too  light  a  vein,  1  would  like  to  add  that  I  enjoy  farming,  and  that  I  have  found  farming 
profitable;  that  I  was  among  the  first  to  settle  in  the  Sunnyside  district,  and  have  taken  quite  an  interest  in  school  matters.  I  am 
proud  of  the  schools  already  established,  and  especially  of  the  one  at  Zillah,  as  I  have  taken  a  particularly  active  interest  in  it. 

Yours  very  truly,  A_  C-  WALKER. 

"flome  ho      e      pond  Of 


Washington  Irrigation  Co.  Zillah,  Wash.,  June  9,  1900. 

SIRS:  I  am  quite  pleased  that  you  have  seen  fit  to  take  a  photograph  of  my  place.  I  am  proud  of  my  little  home,  and 
my  wife  insists  in  saying  that  it  is  the  prettiest  place  in  the  Sunnyside  country.  We  have  tried  to  make  it  homelike. 

We  grow  just  as  nice  blackberries,  raspberries,  currants,  cherries  and  peaches  as  anyone  can  wish  for.  Our  principal 
fruit  crop  are  apples  and  prunes,  and  last  year  and  this  the  trees  have  borne  as  much  as  they  ought  —  if  anything,  too  much  for 
their  good.  One  of  the  difficulties,  so  to  speak,  of  fruit  raising  in  this  section  is  that  the  young  trees  overbear  and  their  fruit 
ought  to  be  thinned. 

I  am  a  builder  by  trade,  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  contractor  in  the  city  of  Tacoma,  but  now  I  have  become  so 
fascinated  with  farming,  and  my  wife  so  thoroughly  enjoys  the  country  life  and  the  pleasure  of  horticulture,  that  I  believe  we  will 
pass  the  remainder  of  our  days  upon  our  ranch. 

As  to  the  people,  I  do  not  care  to  live  in  a  better  community.  Our  acquaintances  here  are  intelligent  and  pleasant,  and 
we  have  our  little  societies  and  visit  and  enjoy  ourselves  quite  as  much  as  people  of  other  sections.  Very  respectfully, 

R.  D.  HEROD. 

Cli2   Ideal    Frail:   Rapm 

(SEE  PLATE  10)  Zillah,  Wash.,  Sept.  18,  19X. 

GENTLEMEN: 

Thirty-three  years  ago,  at  the  age  of  25,  I  came  to  the  Yakima  Valley  and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  continuing  in 
the  business  of  raising  and  dealing  in  cattle  up  to  nine  years  ago.  In  the  spring  of  1891  I  began  to  improve  my  place  under  the 


•rJ^H^WW*^^*1' 


PLATE  ::n  AN  ORCHARD  IN  WHEAT 

THE  HOME  OF  MR.  STOBIE,  NEAR  SUNNYSIDE 


BLACK  RASPBERRY  BUSHES 
HOME  OP  MR.  DOUGLASS,  BELOW  ZILLAH 


Sunnyside  Canal.  I  have  330  acres  under  ditch,  125  acres  now  in  orchard  and  two  and  one-half  acres  of  hillside  in  grapes.  In 
the  spring  of  1891  I  cleared  off  the  sagebrush  and  put  out  thirty-five  acres  in  peaches.  Three  years  later  I  shipped  3000  .boxes  of 
early  peaches  from  950  of  those  trees,  or  six  acres.  For  two  years  1  raised  corn  and  potatoes  between  the  trees.  Have  grown 
the  large  Yellow  Dent  variety  of  corn,  which  matures  well  in  this  valley,  and  will  go  fifty  to  sixty  bushels  per  acre  easily.  With 
extra  care  and  cultivation  I  think  it  would  yield  seventy-five  bushels  of  shelled  corn  per  acre.  One  year  I  had  about  sixty  acres 
of  the  orchard  planted  in  potatoes,  which  would  equal  about  forty  acres  clear  of  trees.  The  yield  was  a  little  over  8000  bushels 
of  good  potatoes.  I  shipped  them  to  Puget  Sound  points  and  to  St.  Paul,  receiving  as  high  as  $13  per  ton  for  some,  the  lowest 
price  being  $10  on  cars  at  my  nearest  station,  making  the  average  price  between  $1 1  and  $12. 

I  don't  believe  there  is  any  country  where  hogs  can  be  raised  more  cheaply  or  successfully  than  in  this  valley,  in  our 
dry  climate  hog  cholera  is  unknown.  They  grow  and  do  well  on  alfalfa,  and  stock  hogs  will  winter  even  on  the  dry  hay.  It  is 
certainly  cheap  food,  for  with  a  good  stand  it  will  turn  off  eight  tons  per  acre  at  four  cuttings  each  season.  Anyone  should  get 
an  average  of  seven  tons  easily.  I  put  up  700  tons  this  year.  Have  never  sold  any  for  less  than  $3.00  per  ton,  and  from  that  up 
to  $6.00.  Large  quantities  usually  bring  better  prices  per  ton  than  small  bunches,  as  it  is  then  more  easily  fed  to  large  bands  of 
cattle  and  sheep  for  the  Puget  Sound  market.  It  makes  the  best  of  sheep-feed,  and  the  thousands  of  sheep  which  range  in  the 
mountains  in  summer  are  fed  in  the  valley  during  winter.  It  does  not  cost  over  a  dollar  per  ton  to  irrigate,  cut  and  put  it  in  the 
slack. 

A  part  of  my  ranch  has  been  cropped  for  twenty-nine  successive  years  without  any  fertilizing.  I  raised  wheat  and  cut  it 
for  hay  for  fourteen  or  sixteen  years,  and  even  the  last  crop  grew  so  rank  as  to  fall  down  and  lodge.  My  bench  land  is  composed 
of  soil  twenty  to  forty  feet  deep. 

I  consider  the  climate  remarkably  healthy.  The  doctors  say  it  is  "distressingly  healthy."  Winters  are  short  and  mild, 
and  we  frequently  have  what  Eastern  people  would  call  no  winter  at  all!  A  short  spell  of  cold  weather,  usually  not  over  two 
weeks,  but  sometimes  as  long  as  two  months,  is  the  chief  winter  we  have. 

My  orchard,  besides  the  thirty-five  acres  in  peaches,  consists  of  1000  apple  trees,  1000  pear  trees,  two  acres  of  cherries 
and  seventy-five  acres  of  prunes. 

Over  a  year  ago  I  constructed  a  large  fruit  dryer,  but  owing  to  the  high  price  of  green  fruit,  I  have  had  scarcely  any  use 
for  the  same.  p  j 


PLATE  37 


FOUR-YEAR-OLD  PRUNE  TREES.    THE  KLINE  FRUIT  Co.,  SUNNYSIDE 


NORTHERN  PACIFIC  RAILWAY 


PLATE  38 


YAKIMA  RIVER  IN  FRONT  OF  ZILLAH 


